


The Storage Cabinet

by Veeple



Category: Veep
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-07-29 04:40:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7670482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veeple/pseuds/Veeple
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amy and Dan react to the news of a potential Congressman Ryan, among other things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Storage Cabinet

*Monday after Thanksgiving*

        Amy was walking into security when she saw Dan a few people in front of her. She swore that the security line was getting longer and longer each day. During the holiday weekend she had been successful about avoiding him around D.C. and pretty much everywhere else. She would never admit it, but she knew he’s schedule. Where he got his coffee and lunch wasn’t that hard to keep track of since Dan was a creature of habit. Plus, you don’t work closely with someone for years and not know that they don’t get their coffee at Starbuck’s but at the Peet’s Coffee across the street instead. As she was making excuses for herself on why she knew this detail about Dan, her eyes grazed the room and then locked with Dan’s a few feet in front of her. It was brief though as he answered his phone a second after she saw him, him turning away. Being slightly caught off guard and not being in the mood to deal with him and whatever shit storm that would eventually hit the Selina administration, she buried her head into her phone.

       A minute later after she was past security, she heard his voice. It wasn’t soft or even friendly, it was that irritating sarcastic tone she’d heard way too many times before. Did he wait for her? She wondered. “Pretending to read Politico? Who are you avoiding?” he mockingly said to her. He knew her too well. “I’m not pretending. I have a lot of emails to get through and it’s only 8:00. Why don’t you go find some intern to fuck” she cracked at him without looking up. “Or better yet, her sister”. She said with a smirk. Dan ignored that last comment and rolled his eyes. “Nah, I think I’ll just find your mom, cus apparently that’s what your dad wants” he slapped back. Mentioning anything that happened over Thanksgiving dinner gave Amy the mixed feelings of slight embarrassment and anger. Noticing that comment, Amy snapped her head up and looked him straight in the eyes but didn’t respond. For a second there was a grimace of pain that flashed through Amy’s face and Dan noticed. That was a low blow, even for him. Before Amy could retort anything Dan piped up. “So, yea what do you think about my idea that Purcell/James are partnering up?” he said, wanting to change the subject. “You haven’t gotten back to me on that, but you know I’m right’. Amy huffed a bit. “Well, to be honest, it does look suspicious that Tom James is dropping all those brand names on air, I mean, he’s doing a way better job than you did…which isn’t saying much” she trailed off as both her and Dan’s phones rang.

      “He fucking is what?!” they both said in unison as they answered their phones. Their eyes met and they both instinctively headed for the best conference room in the West Wing, the storage cabinet. Still on their phones, they piled into the small room filled with paper, staples, post-it notes and folders. “Ok, I gotta go, I’ll see you in 10.” Amy said as she hung up her cell. Dan did the same. “I guess we both got the news…the fuck is this?” Dan said holding his hands out in frustration. “Who called you?” Amy asked. “Mike did, who called you?” Dan replied. “Ben did”, she replied. “I cannot fucking believe this bullshit! No one is going to elect that fucking white walker into Congress” Dan said as he clenched his phone and jaw, walking in a small circle around Amy. “I couldn’t think my year could get any fucking worse and it just fucking did.” Dan didn’t stop circling Amy. “I mean, who’s going to vote for him?” Dan said in annoyance. “Actually” he added with a smirk “Watching him lose will be entertaining”. Amy, not moving and with her back to Dan, was silent. Her arm’s folded across her chest, and looking appropriately pissed off and deep in thought. “Amy, aren’t you annoyed by this? You know this is because of Jonah’s uncle. That nepotism seeking shit” Dan said to try to rile Amy to a response. “Of course this is because of his uncle” she responded. “Why wouldn’t it be? And you think you’ve had a bad year?” Amy said without turning around. They were now standing back to back to each other. “What do you mean?” Dan asked as he thought why Amy would focus on that instead of the oncoming Jonah fiasco. “Fuck Jonah right now, I’m the one having the bad year.” Amy snapped.

       At that reply Dan turned to face Amy, he could tell there was more going on in this conversation than just a congressional run. “Amy, don’t forget that I’ve been fired twice in the last six months and am Tom James’ fucking bag bitch Gary right now!, so, I think I’ve had a much worse year than you” Dan retorted. He absolutely believed that. Being fired from Selina’s team and then just months later getting fired by Purcell. It had been an embarrassing couple of months for him. Dan looked at Amy and could tell he said the wrong thing. Rage flicked ever so slightly in Amy’s eyes for a split second, channeling a storm that was about to come. Dan braced himself. “Who cares about your stupid job with Tom? If what you think is true about Tom and Sydney talking right now than Purcell probably recommended you. You did a fine job at being he’s bitch so why not be one for Tom?” Amy asked with venom in her voice. Dan felt resentment swell in his stomach. Now this conversation for sure had nothing to do with Jonah.

      Before Dan could defend his current job status, Amy continued. “Did you feel like you had to leave the most important person to you because of some wishy washy bitch who can’t make up her damn mind about anything? Did you have to leave a job that you have been working towards for the last 10 years? Hell, a moment that you’ve been working for since you first meet Selina and knew she was the one that you wanted to hook yourself to like a fucking nurse shark? No.” That sliver of rage was boiling up and she wasn’t done. Trying to defuse the situation that Dan did not want to be in at this moment or really ever, he replied back “Yea, but you’re back now and you got all that experience of being on T.V., and all that experience with lobbying. You know you loved that.” Dan said encouraging, not wanting to fuel any more fire to Amy’s tirade. “I’m back but not fully. See this damn badge? Does it say campaign manager? No. All it says is Amy Brookheimer, Staff, like I’m some fucking co-ed who is here just to fuck whoever she can to the top.” Dan looked down at her badge, his just said staff too. He frowned. Amy continued, “And now Selina ignores me and treats me like I’m an idiot, those goddamn skype calls, they really need to fix that. And on top of it all, she wants to hire Candi-with an “I” and that giant from fucking Mordor is running for Congress.” Amy raised her hand to the bridge of her nose, trying to stop a headache from forming. “So yea, I think I’ve had a worse year”. She ended her rant.

      Dan didn’t say anything, giving Amy a moment to calm down. He went to his phone, distracting himself from Amy. “Oh fuck me, this Jonad shit is all over Politico. Goddammit.” Dan said annoyed. There was no coverage of Jonah Ryan on Politicos’ front page but he wanted to return the conversation back to him. “Ugh there’s a picture of him, smug little shit” Dan scrolled through his phone, finding an official press release picture. “I swear if Jonah gets elected into Congress, I’ll be having the worst year” he mumbled. He thought he said it quietly enough that Amy didn’t hear him, but he was wrong. “Is that so? Well, even if Jonad gets elected into office, at least he never fucked my sister”. Amy said in a calm yet menacing voice. Dan’s head snapped up from that remark. Fuck, he thought as he realized that was the real reason she was so mad. “Don’t you think that was the worst thing you could do? Sophie of all people? For what? To get ahead? The only thing you got was head and probably syphilis.” Amy stared him down, matter of factly . Amy wasn’t done. “Actually, I know you don’t give a shit about Tom James working for Purcell, you just hate it that he’s on t.v., essentially doing what you want to do. To be a sell out for Purcell”. Amy crossed her arms and smirked at Dan. She knew she was right. Dan was caught off guard having the conversation being put back on him. “OK, I do not have syphilis, I got that checked, and I’m more concerned about the potential of a Congressman Ryan of New Hampshire at the moment” Dan deflected defensively and angry that Amy could read him so well. “You’re really not going to say anything about Sophie?” Amy questioned, crossing her arms and giving him a stern look. Dan figured he couldn’t make Amy any madder this morning so he coolly responded with “What’s there to say? She wasn’t bad, if you need to know” while replying to a confusing text on his cell. Pondering as to why Ben just texted him , he waited for her answer. “You’re an asshole, I need a coffee and I’m late to do some bullshit errand that I’m sure Candi with an “I” could do instead.”

      Amy was beyond frustrated with how her morning was going and now she was once again feeling embarrassed about any feelings she still had for Dan. Bringing up Sophie just made the storage cabinet seem smaller and claustrophobic. She needed to get away from Dan, out of this conversation and start work. Amy had the feeling that she’d already be behind a dozen things by the time she got to Selina. Just as she went to open the door to leave, Dan learned over her to close it. Amy turned around, and felt Dan’s breath on her face. She looked up and noticed a freckle on his lip that she hadn’t noticed before. “Amy” he said softly, “Don’t make me apologize, you know I regret it.” Dan could sense Amy’s overall frustration with everything going on with her, including whatever the fuck was with them. For a second Amy lost herself in his dark brown eyes and the galaxies of freckles that covered his face. She knew that he was just charming her like he had a dozen times, but in that moment she let him. And she hated herself for letting him. Amy snapped out of it when her phone buzzed, indicating a text message. She glanced down and saw that it was from Ben. It read <nightcap>. She hated that Ben now texted her _nightcap_ , thinking it was some political code for important meetings. She could never tell him what it really meant. She stood up straight and regained her posture as she said to Dan “You only regret it because you fucked her and all you got out of it was an awesome position at CVS. I know you don’t regret it because of me”. That last sentence stung. Without responding Dan just stood there, looking at a loss. He had a thousand responses running through his head, but didn’t say any of them. All he did was stand there in front of Amy, giving her a defeated look. Amy sighed and turned for the door, mumbling “I knew it” under her breath. Not wanting to discuss anything further, she opened the door to leave. She then turned around to Dan and said, changing the subject, “We need to stop Congressman Ryan from ever happening”. And with that, she left.

     Dan stood in the small closet for a short time after Amy left. Not wanting to groom Tom James with a lint roller any time soon he stalled by looking at his emails, read more about the shit storm that was going to be Congressman Jonah Ryan, and thought about Amy. He lied to her. Sophie was shit in the sack. But he didn’t lie about regretting it. That was the truth. After about 7 more minutes in the cabinet alone, he remembered that the next time he saw Amy that he was going to ask her why Ben kept on texting him and everyone else <nightcap> .


End file.
